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“EIGHTY percent of success is just showing up,” Woody Allen famously quipped. But a different reality awaits the hordes of ’07 grads who are starting to fl ood the city’s workforce as newly minted analysts, teaching fellows, account coordinators and assistants. After 17 straight years of schooling, it can come as a culture shock to get plunged into the working world, which has a new set of rules and requires the cultivation of an entirely different skill set.

You might be able to recite Proust from memory and hold forth on how migrant laborers are changing the demographics of the Chinese workforce, but your intellectual prowess is only one component of professional

success. A host of other challenges await, such as learning how to decode the social mores of the workplace, fi guring out how to act and speak like a NEWBIE From Page 41

professional, and otherwise discovering how to get by and get ahead in a new environment.

So if you’re one of the new members of New York’s work force, welcome – here’s a guide to navigating this new territory.

First things first

There are no do-overs when it comes to making a first impression. And unfortunately, just putting on a swanky new suit doesn’t make you a professional. In practice, the process takes time, some good strategies and a certain degree of faking it.

While employers value the energy and enthusiasm newcomers bring to the workforce, that doesn’t mean they necessarily find “youthful” traits endearing. Generally speaking, employers are not impressed by new hires who act like it’s college orientation (read: getting sloshed at your first work function), have no sense of appropriate topics for office chat (read: no one wants to hear what your therapist thinks) or act like they’ve been on the job for years (read: giving your boss advice on improvings things before you’ve memorized the address of your office).

And remember, the professional persona extends to what you e-mail/IM/

post/blog. The rule here is simple: Don’t e-mail or post anything you wouldn’t want your boss to read in a company newsletter.

And while you’re at it, give your Facebook, MySpace and/or Friendster pages a professional makeover. Employers are known to scour them to see what employees are up to, and while your college pals may have loved the pictures of you funneling beers during rush week, your new boss will be less impressed. And don’t even think about posting any references to (or worse, photographic evidence of) illegal behavior – that could bring the career of a rookie real-estate broker or public-school teacher to a screaming halt.

Speaking the part

As the astute social observer Mae West once said, “It ain’t what I say, it’s the way that I say it.”

At the office, tone, delivery and word choice matter. Deals are thrown off kilter, clients are alienated and opportunities are lost because of poor word choice and other issues of nuance.

Some rules to remember:

Err toward the formal: Address new people you meet by Mr. or Ms. until the person tells you that you can use their his or her first name. And always use your first and last name when you introduce yourself.

Avoid the touchy-feely: Don’t use the word “feel” interchangeably with “think,” and only use the word “like” as a way to make a comparison to something else.

Don’t mumble: In general, but especially at meetings and presentations, speak slowly and clearly, and make eye contact.

For those in doubt about “professional speak,” here’s some clarification:

Professional: “I had a really fun night last night.”

Unprofessional: “I’m so hungover I can barely see.”

Professional: “I’d love the challenge of taking on a project like that.”

Unprofessional: “I could do a much better job on that than they’re doing.”

When e-mailing, don’t use abbreviations such as LOL and Thnx, or address a professional contact with “Hey!” Use proper salutations, especially for first-time contacts, and don’t use IM and text-message lingo.

Other behaviors to avoid: Don’t light scented candles or talk loudly on your cellphone in your cubicle, display half-naked pictures of yourself from spring break on your desk or wear anything that could possibly be worn to do yardwork.

Question authorities

In addition to learning to speak more directly, you have to shed any fear of asking questions. Concerns about appearing “dumb” or being a burden are common, but employers anticipate this period of question asking, so it’s a golden opportunity to learn.

Here are some common questions about questions:

Q: Whom should I go to if I have a question about how to turn on my computer or access my voice mail?

A: Ask people on your own level, not the head of your department or company. And use this as an opportunity to introduce yourself to the IT person. Ask him or her if there are tip sheets or tutorials to help acquaint you with the technology at your office.

Q: Is there ever a situation where I should hold back on asking a question?

A: Yes – if you’re at a client meeting or working with customers. Don’t blurt out a procedure-related question in the middle of a meeting!

Q: Should I try to find out the answer myself before I ask a question?

A: Yes, and let your boss know you’ve taken the initiative before coming to him or her. Nothing is more off-putting to an employer than having to field a question that a new hire could have answered by taking five minutes to look it up.

Q: I asked a question, but the answer confused me even more. What should I do now?

A: There are two things you can do. One: Go back and say, “I still need you to clarify a few things.” Two: Find someone else to ask. Whatever you do, it’s better to take action than to ignore the problem.

Guidance counsel

As Jean Otte, the founder of the mentorship program Women Unlimited, puts it, “No one does it alone.” A mentor – someone who knows the ropes, and will help you develop professionally – is a key asset.

Research backs this up. In a 2002 survey by the Simmons School of Management, women who had informal mentors reported a higher promotion rate than those without them.

But finding one is more complicated than asking a random person, “Will you be my mentor?” That’s the workplace equivalent of, “Will you be my boyfriend?”

Like many busy people, CNN correspondent Soledad O’Brien says she finds such general queries daunting and nebulous. But if someone comes to her with a specific request (“Can we meet for 20 minutes on Fridays so I can get some pointers on how to write better leads for political pieces?”), she’s much more inclined to follow through. That goes for any mentor-to-be – and make sure to follow up after that initial meeting.

Experts and those in the trenches concur: Don’t stop at one. Studies confirm that people with a strong network of mentors are most successful. And just because you work in IT doesn’t mean you should only cultivate IT people. The idea is to broaden and diversify. Think about having a “go-to” person for office politics, compensation, soft skills and hard skills.

Mistakes happen

Oh, those four words that Gen Y’s – a generation accustomed to being spoon-fed accolades – hate to hear: “You made a mistake.”

Welcome to the office! Everyone makes mistakes when they’re starting out, and while it’s never pleasant, the best way to recover is to treat it as part of your ongoing education. Own up to it fast, apologize, offer a solution, say it won’t happen again and then move on.

Here’s the script: “I’m really sorry. I realize this is a huge problem. What can I do to fix it? I’ll make sure this won’t happen again.”

Mistakes present an opportunity to get feedback, but it shouldn’t be the only time you solicit opinions on your work. Establish from the outset that you’re comfortable with receiving feedback, and when someone gives it to you don’t assume it’s because they don’t think highly of you.

Carol Frohlinger, president of Negotiating Women, an organization providing professional training and counseling, says the value of feedback is that is demystifies what your boss thinks about your performance.

“You don’t want to get slammed with all the negative stuff at your year-end review. As someone on the bottom of the totem pole, you want your boss to be specific about how you are viewed on a regular basis.”

If you’re daunted by asking for feedback, remember that it doesn’t have to be formal. Frohlinger advises young people starting out to say to their boss, What do you think worked or didn’t work in that meeting? What did you think was effective about how I did that presentation? How could we tweak this so it works better next time?

Pay careful attention to the answers – and you’ll be on your way.

Hannah Seligson got fired from her first job. She lived to tell the tale, and to write the new book “New Girl on the Job: Advice From the Trenches” (Citadel Press), from which this is adapted.

Forward motions

EVERYONE starts out on the ground floor – but not everyone stays there. Here are some tips for breaking out of the entry level.

Make human resources work for you: Introduce yourself to your human resources liaison. Check in every six months and ask about concrete steps you can take to meet your goals. If you want to be promoted to assistant manager, for example, find out what steps were taken by others who achieved it. Also, ask who are the five or ten higher-ups at the company you should introduce yourself to.

Think beyond your job title: It’s not enough to just do the assigned tasks. Think about how to do things better. What can be omitted or tweaked? Maybe it’s conceiving new strategies, creating a better database or inquiring about new areas of research.

Keep a work journal. At the end of each month, note your contributions to projects, even something as simple as the impact rearranging the filing system had on office efficiency. This will give you leverage when you have your year-end review or need to negotiate for a promotion. – H.S.